Shivalaya and Jinalaya, Arsikere Hassan

Arsikere is a bustling town located on National Highway 206, connecting Tumkur and Honnavar districts. Arsikere literally means he queen's pond', it gets its name from a pond constructed by the Hoysalas in the 11th century. Arsikere is home to many beautiful temples. Among these, we visited the Ishwara temple and the Jain temple, both built during Hoysala period.

Shivalaya

The Ishwara temple or Shivalaya (local name)  is the second of our favorites amongst  the Hoysala temples, the first being  Basaralu. The temple consists of a garbhagriha, an antarala, an open navaranga, a porch and an unique mukhamandapa in the form of a sixteen pointed star.  We could not see the interiors of the temple as the priest, who carried he temple keys was out of town. The exterior is in a  star shape  and the shikhara is of Dravidian style with five talas, surmounted by a round stupa and kalasa at the top. The unique mukhamandapa is star shaped, having 13 outer pillars and 8 inner pillars. This mukhamandapa resembles a rock dome is very skillfully done and is truly a master piece of art. This temple is also called as Chandramouleshwara temple.

Rock Dome

Back View of the Temple

Monochrome Shikara

Perfect Symmetry

Defaced Garuda

Pillared Alley

Open Air Museum

 Jain temple is much simpler structure compared to Shivalaya, but worth a visit .

Central Lotus Ceiling

Places to visit around Arsikere: Anekere